WouldJew Believe #28

When we Jews think occupations, “cowboy” isn’t among our top ten. That is, unless you’re talking Argentina, circa 1890, where Jews roamed, roped, and steered on their cattle ranches. Now a footnote in the Diaspora, 50,000 Russian and Eastern European Jews, financed by eccentric German-Jewish millionaire Baron Maurice de Hirsch, got out of “Dodge” (The pogroms of Russia and Eastern Europe), and staked their claim of 123-acre plots. The move was encouraged by an 1881 Argentinean presidential decree, specifically to attract “Israelite” immigration, to populate the sparsely populated area.

Picture it. Thousands of bearded men in black hats, their frum wives shlepping their belongings, stepping off a boat in Entre Rios to each become a Yiddishe Roy Rogers and Dale Evans while keeping things strictly Kosher. "They were strict, I mean strict, about the Sabbath. We had to walk to the synagogue. You could not ride your horse," recalled Jose "Tito" Roimiser, 84, an ex-gaucho whose papa came to Argentina as an infant.

The last of the immigrants arrived to escape the Holocaust in 1936. Ultimately, these Yiddishe cowboy families spread over 16 colonies, consisting of agricultural cooperatives and shtetl-like hamlets. But, the times have been a-changing. The kinder have turned in their saddles for suits and headed to Buenos Aires. Today, most of the once lively shuls and Jewish schools sit almost empty and dilapidated.

Yet, there remain Jewish elders who staunchly hold fast to their Yiddishe roots on the Argentinean plains.

Jaime Jruz, 65, one of the few remaining gauchos, feels an obligation to his ancestors to keep the old traditions alive. He’s joined by a handful, now mostly in their 80s. "This is a story we have to treasure, that we have to keep alive for our grandchildren," says Jruz, from the same farm his grandfather settled. Villa Dominguez's Museum of the Jewish Colonies holds the region's artifacts, including century-old prayer shawls, books, and farm machinery, along with a photo of Jruz’s grandfather, Moises Koselevich, with a bushy beard and fedora.

These elders want to re-ignite the community with help from foreigners, but, with only 400 Jews remaining, revival isn’t promising. When Jruz looks at the photo of his zayde, he recalls the perilous hardships his forefathers endured. "Our ancestors came from Russia with nothing and they made it," he said. "You have to respect that."

A CHEESY “TSIMMIS?”

This summer Israelis have been “curdling”over the high price of ...... cottage cheese! And more, have been making their feelings known via a fierce Facebook protest. It seems that the cost for this simple dairy product, an Israeli diet staple, has risen 39% in the region since 2008! So Israelis have been geshrei-ing their outrage, garnering over 1,000,000 FB supporters since the page was inaugurated in June. And it’s only the tip of the cheeseburg, as organizers are also enraged at the overall cost of dairy and other food products, which are significantly higher than prices in Europe or the U.S.

The FB campaign has been so successful that the Knesset held emergency meetings to investigate the problem. Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz called together food industry leaders, and David Gioil, to discuss the high cost of dairy products. David Gilo, chairman of the Antitrust Authority, suggested importing it, in order to lower prices (which, with the added tariffs, wouldn’t work, anyway). When he came up with the idea, however, Shraga Brosh, president of the Manufacturers Association suggested Israel import a new finance minister.

Lately, the lowly cheese, dubbed “white gold” by the press, has been referred to as such a “luxury item,” that an opposition lawmaker presented PM Benjamin Netanyahu with a container of the “good stuff.”

Some vendors are lowering prices, realizing the seriousness of the situation. Not only is the integrity of beloved blintzes and kugel in the Holy Land at risk (anyone into a chipotle blintz?), but badniks could, heaven forbid, (like US jeans in the USSR), start a black market by shlepping Breakstone’s in coolers, and maybe collapsing the entire Israeli currency system!

Then again, I’ve been known on a rare occasion to overreact.

AND WHILE WE’RE ON THE SUBJECT .........

FACEBOOK, NOT JUST “HOW R U?"

Last Mother’s Day writer Deborah Kogan's son, Leo, awoke with a fever and rash. After visiting the doctor, mom posted photos of the four-year-old Jewish boy describing his symptoms. The next day she added new startling symptoms in updates. "Baby getting sicker. Eyes swollen shut. Fever rising. Penicillin not working. Might be scarlet fever. Or roseola. Or...????” The comments started from her fellow Facebookers, including a call from a friend, whose own child had similar symptoms and was diagnosed with Kawasaki disease, a rare and potentially fatal auto-immune disorder that attacks the heart. Deborah, not wanting to overreact, waited. When Leo’s strep test came back negative, she re-considered, especially when a pediatrician also posted about the possibility of Kawasaki. Mom took her son to the hospital and it was confirmed. The boy was suffering from an enlarged heart and liver disease, triggered by disease.

Thanks to Facebookers picking up on the serious symptoms the doctor’s office missed, young Leo is now on the mend. Should posters trump doctors? Of course not, but, despite criticisms of the new Social Media, it provided this family with many “second opinions,” that may well have saved a child’s life.

A GRAIN IS A GRAIN IS A GRAIN. OR IS IT?

You’re an observant Jew. You’re khaloshing for a piece of toast. You grab for the Kosher bread, and who do you see smiling at you? The Pope. While he’s certainly a righteous person, deserving of respect (and he even speaks fluent Hebrew), for some, it might be a little like seeing an oyster on a package of “oyster” crackers. Now, how you may be wondering, would a perfectly delicious, kosher, so-good Israeli bread be named for Pope Benedict XVI?

Here’s the story. The bread, a hybrid of two Israeli wheat strains created by Uri Kushnir at the Volcani Center, was a rush job, to allow President Shimon Peres to present a little something when he met with the Pope in 2009. And so someone thought it was only natural to “christen” it “Benedict Wheat.” And therein started the problem.

Frum farmers, whose fields are located near Beit She'an, refused to plant the wheat strain with the “Catholic” name. To end the tsimmis, according to Ynet, the bread has recently been officially re-named Binyamin Wheat.

To these farmers, obviously, you are what you “wheat.” (I heard that!)

Featured at Aish.com:

About the Author

Quirky, no-nonsense, funny, Marnie – writer, editor, author, lecturer, clinician, and administrator -- is a straight-shooter, who has a distinctive voice and takes on the world in her columns, features, and books. Her advice column was syndicated through Tribune Media Services, and it currently appears in Singular magazine as Singular Solutions. Marnie has written over 20 books/calendars, including the series “A Little Joy, A Little Oy." Her books include Yiddishe Mamas: The Truth About the Jewish Mother and A Little Joy, A Little Oy (pub. AndrewsMcMeel). She is also an award-winning “calendar queen” having written over 20. She has been nominated for both an Emmy and Writers Guild award.Thefullwiki.org has listed Marnie Macauley on their list of top Jewish_American writers, dead or living. (She’s still deciding which.) She was also chosen as a Distinguished Woman in Las Vegas in March of 2014.

Visitor Comments: 6

(5)
Ann Brady,
September 9, 2011 12:20 AM

Kawasaki Disease

Thank you for mentioning that little boy with the missed diagnosis of Kawasaki Disease (KD). Boruch HaShem that people spoke up on FB and helped save his life. Time is of the essence in treatment. Anyone with children should Google KD to learn more, as it is potentially deadly - especially years later when there can be quick death from an aortic rupture - and is often missed by doctors. Our little boy had his appendix removed, the doctor was SO far off the diagnosis. When we saw the skin on the palms of his little hands and fingers start to peel in sheets, we knew this was not "appendicitis" and took him back to the hospital. He is now 17 and doing well, but still seeing a cardiologist in another city to ensure he does not develop a cardio-aortic rupture. Parents and grandparents, trust your instincts!

(4)
PHILIP PELTZ,
August 30, 2011 6:43 PM

Cheeseberg Indeed!

But like everything else Marnie writes, clever , innovative and informative. I wish I'd known this before my last trip to S.America

(3)
caio marques,
August 30, 2011 2:45 PM

Brazilian Jewish Gauchos

In Brazil,we had also a commuinity of gauchos , subject of a book from the fine Brazilian writer Carlos Scliar.
A member of the community, a former Guards Regiment cavalryman, was my fencing instructor in the 70´s in Rio!

(2)
Karyn Goldstein,
August 29, 2011 3:36 PM

Always informative,always entertaining !

(1)
murshili hatti,
August 28, 2011 6:58 PM

another superb article by marnie, and it touched very close to home in two particular ways. for one, my son had kawasaki sydrome some years ago--he is now quite healthy, fortunately--which was also missed by some of the doctors at the time, but was finally treated effectively at a children's hospital. the other is that, as i recall family history, one branch of my family moved to argentina and a distant cousin became, not a gaucho, but a successful and popular matador (in my youth i saw the pictures)! too bad the meat would be treif.
but again, marnie, kudei and yasher koach

Marnie, the author,
August 29, 2011 2:55 PM

Thanks for posting!

So happy about your son! And a gaucho?? Fascinating!
Thanks for posting,
Shalom with love,
Marnie

I live in rural Montana where the Cholov Yisrael milk is difficult to obtain and very expensive. So I drink regular milk. What is your view on this?

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

Jewish law requires that there be rabbinic supervision during the milking process to ensure that the milk comes from a kosher animal. In the United States, many people rely on the Department of Agriculture's regulations and controls as sufficiently stringent to fulfill the rabbinic requirement for supervision.

Most of the major Kashrut organizations in the United States rely on this as well. You will therefore find many kosher products in America certified with a 'D' next to the kosher symbol. Such products – unless otherwise specified on the label – are not Cholov Yisrael and are assumed kosher based on the DOA's guarantee.

There are many, however, do not rely on this, and will eat only dairy products that are designated as Cholov Yisrael (literally, "Jewish milk"). This is particularly true in large Jewish communities, where Cholov Yisrael is widely available.

Rabbi Moshe Feinstein wrote that under limited conditions, such as an institution which consumes a lot of milk and Cholov Yisrael is generally unavailable or especially expensive, American milk is acceptable, as the government supervision is adequate to prevent non-kosher ingredients from being added.

It should be added that the above only applies to milk itself, which is marketed as pure cow's milk. All other dairy products, such as cheeses and butter, may contain non-kosher ingredients and always require kosher certification. In addition, Rabbi Feinstein's ruling applies only in the United States, where government regulations are considered reliable. In other parts of the world, including Europe, Cholov Yisrael is a requirement.

There are additional esoteric reasons for being stringent regarding Cholov Yisrael, and because of this it is generally advisable to consume only Cholov Yisroel dairy foods.

In 1889, 800 Jews arrived in Buenos Aires, marking the birth of the modern Jewish community in Argentina. These immigrants were fleeing poverty and pogroms in Russia, and moved to Argentina because of its open door policy of immigration. By 1920, more than 150,000 Jews were living in Argentina. Juan Peron's rise to power in 1946 was an ominous sign, as he was a Nazi sympathizer with fascist leanings. Peron halted Jewish immigration to Argentina, introduced mandatory Catholic religious instruction in public schools, and allowed Argentina to become a haven for fleeing Nazis. (In 1960, Israeli agents abducted Adolf Eichmann from a Buenos Aires suburb.) Today, Argentina has the largest Jewish community in Latin America with 250,000, though terror attacks have prompted many young people to emigrate. In 1992, the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires was bombed, killing 32 people. In 1994, the Jewish community headquarters in Buenos Aires was bombed, killing 85 people. The perpetrators have never been apprehended.

Be aware of what situations and behaviors give you pleasure. When you feel excessively sad and cannot change your attitude, make a conscious effort to take some action that might alleviate your sadness.

If you anticipate feeling sad, prepare a list of things that might make you feel better. It could be talking to a specific enthusiastic individual, running, taking a walk in a quiet area, looking at pictures of family, listening to music, or reading inspiring words.

While our attitude is a major factor in sadness, lack of positive external situations and events play an important role in how we feel.

[If a criminal has been executed by hanging] his body may not remain suspended overnight ... because it is an insult to God (Deuteronomy 21:23).

Rashi explains that since man was created in the image of God, anything that disparages man is disparaging God as well.

Chilul Hashem, bringing disgrace to the Divine Name, is one of the greatest sins in the Torah. The opposite of chilul Hashem is kiddush Hashem, sanctifying the Divine Name. While this topic has several dimensions to it, there is a living kiddush Hashem which occurs when a Jew behaves in a manner that merits the respect and admiration of other people, who thereby respect the Torah of Israel.

What is chilul Hashem? One Talmudic author stated, "It is when I buy meat from the butcher and delay paying him" (Yoma 86a). To cause someone to say that a Torah scholar is anything less than scrupulous in meeting his obligations is to cause people to lose respect for the Torah.

Suppose someone offers us a business deal of questionable legality. Is the personal gain worth the possible dishonor that we bring not only upon ourselves, but on our nation? If our personal reputation is ours to handle in whatever way we please, shouldn't we handle the reputation of our nation and the God we represent with maximum care?

Jews have given so much, even their lives, for kiddush Hashem. Can we not forego a few dollars to avoid chilul Hashem?

Today I shall...

be scrupulous in all my transactions and relationships to avoid the possibility of bringing dishonor to my God and people.

With stories and insights,
Rabbi Twerski's new book Twerski on Machzor makes Rosh Hashanah prayers more meaningful. Click here to order...